I’ve Passed through large portions of Colorado on a couple of occasions but always under darkness.  I’d seen the shadows of the mountains looming over me but it was time to witness them in all their beauty.

One of the keys to a cheap trip is being decisive and knowing when to act.  When I saw a flash sale to Colorado nearing the peak foliage time, I purchased a plane ticket within a few hours.  My mind was filled with images of October calendar pages; I just hoped it would live up to my expectations.  In total, the opportunity cost me $608.

Car Rental – $415

If you read my Wind River Budget post, you’ll remember me referencing the high cost of Denver car rentals.  Wow, I was right!  I tried every trick I knew but there was no escaping the market’s demands.  The only good news was that the prices were fairly similar regardless of the car class.  While I generally go with the cheapest option, I decided to upgrade to an SUV given the rough roads to the trailheads.  That turned out to be a very good decision.  Aside from discount rental agencies with terrible reviews, Sixt offered the cheapest rates if I was willing to commit to pre-paying.  I’d never used Sixt but it had the nicest selection of cars I’ve ever been given… highly recommended.  As usual, I paid with my Chase Sapphire Reserve to avoid the need to pay extra for the rental insurance.  I also clicked through TopCashBack.com to get 8% back.  In total, the rental was $262. I had a sprawling itinerary and my gas cost was a substantial $154.

Airfare – $119

My flight was cheap!  I’ve heard the horror stories about Frontier Airlines but my experiences have been positive.  I paid a mere $81 for the roundtrip ticket direct from my home airport halfway across the country.  Of course, Frontier is stingy on amenities but I was able to deal with their limitations.  Adding a carry-on bag to my ticket would have nearly doubled the cost.  So, I had to get by with just the included personal item and get creative with the extra gear.  After a little research, I discovered I could FedEx items and FedEx would hold them for free at the 24 hours store in Denver.  Since I was in no hurry, the cheapest shipping level would suffice.  All in, the $38 shipping cost was less than half that of the potential baggage fee.

Food – $69

I spent most of my time outside of large cities where food options were limited and costly.  I brought my camping stove and made a trip to the grocery store early on in the trip.  This turned out to work well as significant detours would have been required to get food in some areas.  I relied on cooking my own food in these instances and ate fast food when passing through larger towns.

Accomodations – $5

I didn’t spend any money on lodging during my 5 day/4 night trip.  For solo trips, I’ve grown fond of sleeping in the car.  Laying down the back seats offers enough space and requires no setup/breakdown time like a tent would.  I spent nights parked in a Walmart parking lot, Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP (no fee holiday) and at a couple of trailheads.  The downside of this strategy is that showering is an issue.  The simple solution was to skip the showers.  I wore odor-resistant clothing and didn’t spend any extended time around anyone else anyway.  I’m sure you’re thinking this sounds gross but it really wasn’t as bad as you’d imagine.  On the last morning, I visited the Silverthorne Recreation Center where you can shower for $5.  Most Recreation Centers offer paid showers and towel rentals.

I’ve Passed through large portions of Colorado on a couple of occasions but always under darkness.  I’d seen the shadows of the mountains looming over me but it was time to witness them in all their beauty.

At the beginning of the year, a couple of friends and I began planning our 6 day/5 night backpacking trip. While planning the route was fairly intensive, the budget was relatively simple for this one. The cost only consisted of a few items but we still found ways to lower our cost without having a negative effect on our trip. In total, we each spent just over $500.

Car Rental – $415

If you read my Wind River Budget post, you’ll remember me referencing the high cost of Denver car rentals.  Wow, I was right!  I tried every trick I knew but there was no escaping the market’s demands.  The only good news was that the prices were fairly similar regardless of the car class.  While I generally go with the cheapest option, I decided to upgrade to an SUV given the rough roads to the trailheads.  That turned out to be a very good decision.  Aside from discount rental agencies with terrible reviews, Sixt offered the cheapest rates if I was willing to commit to pre-paying.  I’d never used Sixt but it had the nicest selection of cars I’ve ever been given… highly recommended.  As usual, I paid with my Chase Sapphire Reserve to avoid the need to pay extra for the rental insurance.  I also clicked through TopCashBack.com to get 8% back.  In total, the rental was $262. I had a sprawling itinerary and my gas cost was a substantial $154.

Airfare – $119

My flight was cheap!  I’ve heard the horror stories about Frontier Airlines but my experiences have been positive.  I paid a mere $81 for the roundtrip ticket direct from my home airport halfway across the country.  Of course, Frontier is stingy on amenities but I was able to deal with their limitations.  Adding a carry-on bag to my ticket would have nearly doubled the cost.  So, I had to get by with just the included personal item and get creative with the extra gear.  After a little research, I discovered I could FedEx items and FedEx would hold them for free at the 24 hours store in Denver.  Since I was in no hurry, the cheapest shipping level would suffice.  All in, the $38 shipping cost was less than half that of the potential baggage fee.

Food – $69

I spent most of my time outside of large cities where food options were limited and costly.  I brought my camping stove and made a trip to the grocery store early on in the trip.  This turned out to work well as significant detours would have been required to get food in some areas.  I relied on cooking my own food in these instances and ate fast food when passing through larger towns.

Accomodations – $5

I didn’t spend any money on lodging during my 5 day/4 night trip.  For solo trips, I’ve grown fond of sleeping in the car.  Laying down the back seats offers enough space and requires no setup/breakdown time like a tent would.  I spent nights parked in a Walmart parking lot, Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP (no fee holiday) and at a couple of trailheads.  The downside of this strategy is that showering is an issue.  The simple solution was to skip the showers.  I wore odor-resistant clothing and didn’t spend any extended time around anyone else anyway.  I’m sure you’re thinking this sounds gross but it really wasn’t as bad as you’d imagine.  On the last morning, I visited the Silverthorne Recreation Center where you can shower for $5.  Most Recreation Centers offer paid showers and towel rentals.